Secrets Buried in Sunset Boulevard

Hollywood Howl had something else to discuss besides the usual fare of babies, divorces

and romances of major stars.

"The big news this week," said Ken Barbie anchorman "is that the wife of major producer

Gordon Greenwald, who accused singer Connie Leighton of stealing her man, has been revealed as

a sex worker who has never been married to Greenwald and never lived with him. Sidewalk Stars

can exclusively reveal that the sex worker, Karen Purbeck, who also has the working name of

Larissa Diamond, was paid to confront Connie Leighton and make those claims, as an elaborate

way for the producer to end his romantic involvement with Leighton…

Charlotte had little interest in the preliminaries of chatting, all but dragging Will into the

serviced apartment's large bed and moaning throughout the coupling.

"Sorry about the noise, Will," she said as they lay, gasping, bodies intertwined. "I was

always into sex, and it's been a while for me."

"You don't need to apologise to a guy for that," said Will. "The noise is a compliment."

She giggled and ran her fingers over Will's shoulders, sweaty from the exercise.

"Good body," she said. "Few tatts, that's unusual these days."

"Never into them," he said.

He caressed her breast and side, making her gasp until she wanted to couple again, this time

with much less urgency. Afterwards Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder and they exchanged

life stories. Violet had gained considerable amusement from drilling Will in what to do and not do

in bed, including the need to talk afterwards, for as long as the woman wanted.

Will's new found sexual partner declared herself to be a divorced head of a small company

that specialised in contract marketing, design and image services for law firms. Although she was

based in New York, the company had an office in Los Angeles which she wanted to expand.

"Lots of law firms out here," she said.

Charlotte expressed sympathy over Will's tale of abandonment by Violet and amusement

over his day of stonewalling a sacked agency, although Will was careful not to name the star he

worked for – an omission that Charlotte accepted without argument. Will could have his secrets as

far as she was concerned. They got up to have the long delayed coffee then Charlotte declared that

she had to take a late flight back to New York and would not have time for more than a quick meal

at the airport.

Declining Will's offer to drive her saying that he would distract her, Charlotte took his

number while declining to give hers.

"I need to concentrate for a week or so, then I'll be back for a couple of days and we'll have

dinner then," she said. She kissed him goodbye passionately at the door and Will left, feeling that

the whole episode had been unreal. As Charlotte had also declined to give the name of her company

and even say what part of New York she lived in Will half expected not to hear from her again, but

a few days later she called while he was sitting around the dining room table with Mia and Emma.

Although he went out to the pool area for the bulk of the conversation as he did when his parents or

his sister called, the two ladies immediately suspected it was from a woman.

"Well, yes, an older woman," he said. "She runs a legal consultancy and comes out to the

LA office sometimes."

"How much older?" Emma wanted to know.

"Few years, not that much older."

"A junior cougar?" said Mia.

"That's a thought," said Will, who declined to give any further details.

Then it was time for the two bad girls to visit the Haddenbach Children's Hospital. With

Connie Leighton publicly acceptable again – her former boyfriend now busy denying all sorts of

dark secrets that had crawled out of the woodwork when the public spotlight had turned on him –

the administrators were quite happy to have both ladies visit as a way of promoting the benefit,

lifting the institution's rather low public profile and, oh yes, raising the spirits of the hospital's

young inmates.

As the public relations man for both Meghan and, as far as the benefit went, for Connie,

Will now had a list of media contacts to alert to the visit. Those who did not have the resources to

send photographers, and that was most of the websites and even some of the newspapers would be

sent material to be taken by a photographer hired for the day. That photographer was Jake, the

assistant director Mia was now dating regularly.

"Will, you're driving me to this thing," said Meghan throwing him the keys for her BMW to

Will.

"Me, seriously?" said Will.

Meghan paid about as much attention to the BMW series 5 in her garage as she did her

kitchen, preferring cars organised by the studios or agencies to pick her up or for boyfriends to drive

her in their luxury cars.

"We could always make a statement and take my car," said Will.

"And put that eyesore you call a car in the spare spot in the garage from now on," said Meg.

"I'm told the neighbours have been complaining about it being in the street."

"It gets me places," protested Will, "and I told you I'm a fashion victim. You should be kind

to victims."

"I am being kind to your car," retorted Meghan, "And I'm being patient with you. Shut up

and put it in the garage and get mine out. At least with that grey jacket and khaki slacks look you've

got going today the police won't stop you on suspicion of car theft. Come on, chop, chop!"

"Who says chop, chop these days?" complained Will to Mia who shrugged and smiled. But

he put his car in the garage as he was told and got into the BMW, relieved to find that, as it was a

nine speed automatic, he would not make a fool of himself driving it.

"I hear you're dating a young cougar," said Meghan as they drove.

"That's Mia's description. She's not that much older than me, although she did pick me up

at a supermarket."

"Really," gasped Meghan. "I didn't hear about that."

"I didn't tell the others that part." Will told her the story.

"It was nice of you to offer your card to that girl," said Meghan. "And this Charlotte

checked on you being single right at the start."

"Well, yeah," said Will. "She didn't have a ring and asked if I wanted coffee at her place.

I'm a guy. A good looking woman offers me coffee, I accept."

"Did you get coffee?"

"Eventually."

"Ha!" said Meghan, then, "Men!"

"It was her choice all along the line," protested Will, "and you're meant to be the

Hollywood bad girl remember? You're supposed to chew guys up and spit them out."

"That's my screen image," she said. "The real Meghan is more conventional. I've never

picked up a guy in a supermarket line."

"Would the real Meghan ask a guy out?"

"Hmmm! I've never had to."

"I can well believe that," said Will.

Meghan liked that compliment. Will was now a friend with whom she was comfortable

enough to occasionally argue with, tease, or tell off, without heat, and who didn't mind being

bossed around. But a part of her wondered why Will wasn't showing more interest. Meghan told

herself that romantic overtures from Will would be a major complication and might result in her

losing him as a friend, but she was used to men fawning and even fighting over her. An attractive

one that she saw shirtless most days that treated her as a friend was an affront. An occasional

compliment helped.

"You spent the weekend with Robin," said Will. "How was that?"

"We went to a party with film types," said Meghan. "It was fun."

(Actually, she had argued with Robin about men paying attention to her at the party.

"You encourage those guys too much," he had said.

"I just wasn't being rude," said Meghan, "and so what if they are paying attention? I'm not

going to do anything."

"I don't like it babe," Robin had said, "they'll take advantage.")

"A party with cool, famous people," said Will, as they drove. "Did any of them wear khaki

slacks?"

"There was one," said Meghan, laughing, "but security threw him out when someone

complained."

They got to the hospital, a series of white buildings crammed into a suburban site and met

Connie – the first time the two stars had seen one another in the flesh in years – as well as the greyhaired hospital administrator, Helen Judson. In short order, they then met the head of surgery, chief

of medical staff, director of nursing services and various other hospital executives. Then they met

the patients, the children, whose reactions varied – the younger ones didn't understand who they

were – but all seemed pleased to see them. They met several parents who were too taken up with

concern over their child's health to be overcome by star power.

The cancer ward was the worst with the children looking forlorn, some without hair and

tubes in their noses who smiled bravely when the woman approached. Connie was particularly

affected.

"The cure rates for children with cancer are pretty good," said one of the doctors, "much

better than for adults, but there is the occasional one of course, which is very sad."

Then they were out in a corridor and the visit was almost over when they passed a group of

nurses and nursing aides.

Will noticed the woman a couple of seconds before she acted. Unlike the others who were

smiling, the short, fiery Latin type dressed as a nursing aide was staring at Meghan with what

seemed to be real hate. She was also holding a flower vase without flowers in front of her, rather

than under one arm. She stepped forward, glaring at Meghan and, suddenly realising what she was

about to do, Will swung around in front of the star, putting his back to the woman. Meghan had the

sense to duck.

Will felt something splash on his jacket and heard someone scream "Maria, what are you

doing?"

"Was that acid?" asked Will, in alarm, hurriedly shrugging his jacket off and letting it fall to

the floor. He thought a little had got onto his neck and right hand but there was no burning

sensation.

"No, it's piss from the bed patients," spat the aide. "Miss high and mighty Chalmers should

know what it feels like to be covered with piss."